Ebates Review

I am the type of person who loves to optimize my savings.

In other words, I like to look for ways to save money that requires as little effort as possible. If I had to go out of my way just to save a dollar or two where the cost in time doesn’t justify, I would simply pass. Who has time for that?

There are so many clever ways to save money without wasting time or going through the hassle. Having that said, I decided to write this Ebates review because it’s the best rewards and cash back program that I know to date! And no, this is NOT a credit card. I’m NOT going to tell you to sign up for any credit cards here so you don’t need to worry!

Ebates is perfect to use everyday because you can passively save money on the things you normally buy. This is especially helpful during Thanksgiving and Christmas when you tend to spend more.

I personally use Ebates and I’m able to earn over a few hundred dollars each year without putting in much effort. To put things into perspective, that’s a good amount to go towards your Christmas shopping!

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read our boring disclosure for more information.

Today, I’m going to cover the following in this Ebates review:

1. What is Ebates?

2. Is Ebates free?

3. What stores are on Ebates?

4. How does Ebates work? (covers a quick tutorial along with a hack you must know)

1. What is Ebates?

Up to this point, I’m sure you already have an idea of what Ebates is. It’s a program that allows savvy shoppers like you to save money by earning cash back on your everyday purchases.

Here is what I found on the Ebates website under their About Us section:

Since our founding in 1999, Ebates has helped its members — 10 million and counting — earn over $1 billion in Cash Back at their favorite stores. By connecting these savvy shoppers with America’s best brands, we give them a hassle-free way to save money on the things they buy every day.

In a short and simple sentence, you could say that you’re getting paid (passively) to shop. 🙂

2. Is Ebates free?

YES, Ebates is free to use and they give you FREE money just by shopping for the things you normally buy online!

For example, if you decide to buy some home supplies from Walmart, you would simply go to Walmart’s website, search for the products you want to buy and then hit the checkout button. Ebates will give you cash back just for doing that! You can earn up to 40% on your online purchases. The norm is generally between 2% to 10%.

Hint: This cash back is additional savings ON TOP of store promos and other discounts! This helps you save even more money by being able to combine other offers! 😉 I initially thought this was too good to be true but it’s not!

3. What stores are on Ebates?

Ebates works with over 2,000 of your favorite retailers. Popular ones include Macy’s, Target, Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, eBay, Apple, Nike, Groupon, and a lot more!

My personal favorites are Lowe’s and Home Depot because that’s where we shop when my fiancé needs to fix or replace something for our tenants. I will give you guys an example of how we used Ebates to save money on one of our recent purchases in the next section.

4. How does Ebates work?

Now, you may be asking: How does Ebates work? How do you save money with Ebates?

Some of you may think that saving money with Ebates is too good to be true. Well, it’s not and here’s why.

As mentioned above, Ebates is affiliated with over 2,000 retailers. Because they are affiliated with many brands, Ebates will earn a commission for directing you to the store’s website (e.g. Apple, Nike, eBay, Lowe’s, etc.). You get cash back from Ebates because they share part of their commission with you. It’s as simple as that!

Example of my recent savings with Ebates:

When we purchased a replacement stove for our tenant from Lowe’s for $869.97, we got 2% back just for ordering it online through the Ebates portal. That was an easy instant savings of $17.40 with no effort other than shopping on Lowe’s website through the Ebates portal. On top of that, we used my credit card that gives us 2% cash back on home improvement purchases. That was an additional savings of $17.40 which totals to be $34.80.

What I’m trying to tell you guys is that you can stack your savings with other coupons, specials, and rewards when you use Ebates. So many people assume that Ebates cannot be combined with store discounts or other specials but that is not true. If Lowe’s has a sale or a special coupon, you can still use Ebates to further your savings.

It’s just a bummer that Lowe’s didn’t have any sale when we had to immediately replace the stove for our tenant! In situations like this, you just cannot wait for a sale or force yourself to buy something else just because another product was on sale! And no, picking up a free stove or buying a used one was not part of our consideration set.

Anyway, you get my point. 🙂

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to shop online and save money with Ebates:

In my example below, I would type “lowe’s” (or whichever store you plan to shop at) into the search bar.

After you select “Lowe’s” or hit enter, you will see something like the screen below.

On the left, you will see the Lowe’s logo and a button that says “Shop Now.”

Click on that “Shop Now” button to be directed to Lowe’s website and you can start shopping like how you regularly shop for your stuff online.

Here’s another example for lovers of Macy’s. If you regularly shop at Macy’s, type “Macy’s” into the search bar. Similar to what I said above, click on the “Shop Now” button and you will be directed to Macy’s website.

IMPORTANT NOTE: You must make sure to shop in the window browser that Ebates directs you to because this is how they track your purchases! In other words, DO NOT open a brand new window to shop! Once you checkout, your cash-back reward will be credited into your Ebates account within a few days to a week. This adds up especially during popular seasons like Christmas.

A quick and dirty hack you must know!

I bet it crossed your mind that you’ll forget to log into Ebates each time you plan to shop online! You also don’t have to worry about staying in that same window that I mentioned above because there’s a solution for that!

To save time (and to avoid logging into Ebates each time), you can install and activate the Ebates Button Extension onto your Internet browser. This extension only works for the desktop. Now, you’ll always receive an automatic cashback notification at participating stores while browsing online without having to log into Ebates each time. Sweet!

A very small Ebates popup at the very top right-hand corner of your browser will prompt you to click on the button “Activate X% Cash Back” for so and so store when you’re browsing online for the things you normally shop for.

Before installing the extension button, you’ll need to first sign up for Ebates here. Creating an Ebates account literally takes 5 seconds since it only requires your e-mail address and a password. Again, if you live in Canada, use this CAD link. After that, you can install the Ebates Button Extension so that you’ll never miss FREE cash!

5. How to make money with Ebates

It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for – the crazy simple way to earn extra money through their referral program.

Now thatyou’ve signed up, you can earn extra cash each time you refer your friends, family, coworkers, etc. But only refer Ebates if you really love and use them!

As you can see in the picture below, the referral bonus is $25 for each person you refer as long as they make their first $25 online purchase through Ebates. During the time I’m writing this, it is still $25 for every referral. Your friend will also receive a $10 bonus through your referral link so it’s a win-win for everyone! 🙂

I just had to mention this feature because not a lot of people talk about it. I thought I’d be open about it and let you know!

6. When is the best time to use Ebates?

You can use Ebates whenever you like. I always use them all year round so that I can earn cash back on all my normal purchases. I was going to buy those things anyway so why not?

But to answer your question, I find that the best and most popular time to use Ebates is from September to December. This is when kids go back to school, Thanksgiving is around the corner, Black Friday sales are coming in, and most of all, people are shopping for Christmas and New Year’s Eve!

BONUS: Based on my personal experience, October to December is when Ebates has the best cash back deals!

These are the most popular months for retailers and that’s when they get the most sales! It’s also a win for you because this is likely the time you spend the most. This is especially true during Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Christmas.

Having that said, imagine how much cash you can earn from Ebates during this season! But of course, I would never encourage you to spend more just to “save more.” Always be cautious with your spending!

7. Is Ebates Legit?

Yes, Ebates is 100% legit so it’s definitely NOT a scam!

They have an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

I personally use Ebates which has allowed me to save a few hundred dollars each year without much effort.

As I mentioned at the beginning, Ebates is affiliated with over 2,000 stores and they make money when you buy something through their link. Using my original example from above, when they direct you to Lowe’s website, Ebates will earn a commission from Lowe’s when you buy something from them. It’s like how I would earn a small commission at no extra cost to you when you click on my affiliate links. Everyone wins so there’s no scam involved here.

Ebates also credits the cash into your account pretty quickly — usually a few days up until a week.

My personal experience with Ebates customer support:

For the many years that I’ve used Ebates, I only ran into a minor hiccup once. My fiance purchased an engagement ring for me from Blue Nile through Ebates and it was odd that he didn’t see cash in his account after two weeks. He figured to give it some time but waiting two weeks didn’t seem normal since we usually see the cash credited into the account within a few days. He immediately contacted Ebates through their online chat support and they were able to quickly resolve the issue within the same day. In the end, my fiance got his cash credited to his account and he was happy.

Having that said, we had a really good experience with the customer support so Ebates is far from being a scam!

Ebates customer reviews:

Here are other Ebates reviews by real users that I found from BBB. Ebates has a current rating of 4.3/5 stars, so it looks like there are a lot of happy campers out there!

And of course, as with any company, there will always be an unhappy customer but it looks like Ebates was able to resolve those issues. I mean, based on my personal experience that I mentioned above, I was almost one of those unsatisfied customers but they turned it around by resolving my issue within a timely manner. 😉

Ebates Summary:

There you have it — my honest Ebates review and how it has helped me save money over the years.

Using Ebates is really simple because all you have to do is make purchases at your favorite stores through Ebates and you will passively earn cash back. You can view it as getting paid to shop or effortlessly saving money just by making purchases via Ebates.

The best part is you can combine Ebates with store promotions and/or other discounts to save even more! Who doesn’t like keeping more money in their wallets with almost no effort? As the financial experts always say, $1 saved is $2 earned! 🙂

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About Finsavvy Panda

Welcome to Finsavvy Panda!I love everything about saving, investing, earning, and building net worth. I’m all for flexibility and balance, so I’d love ❤ to help you do all of this without having to deprive yourself! Since Oct 2016, my boyfriend and I have been working towards freeing ourselves from corporate bullsh!t to become financially independent. If you want to hop on the happiness boat, come join us!